Ted and Elena
by irma66
Summary: "Jeez Christian - if that were your son,how would you feel?" Ted Grey meets an old family friend.
1. Chapter 1

Chapter 1

The Junior League Charity Ball

Sixteen year old Ted Grey blanched as he watched his father sweep his mother off the dance floor with a flourish and lead her out the side door of the club's ballroom into the darkened garden. From the moment Ted had first noticed that girls were interesting, he had also noticed that they seemed to expect him to live up to that – sweeping and gallant and romantic. He could see a small group of girls from his class gazing after his parents with that sickening enraptured look that he had seen so often and hated so much. He was no longer embarrassed by the whole lovey-dovey thing that they always had going on – it had been hideous when he was 13 – but he still always felt that he was being held up to the example of Christian Grey, Master of the Universe, and found to be horribly lacking. He could relate more easily to his Uncle Elliott, who was mostly a big goof, and was currently engaging in a game of quarters with Duncan Shaw's dad in the bar, out of sight of his mother, Ted's GG, Grandma Grace. Uncle Elliott's wife, Aunt Kate, was dancing with Grandpa Cary, and pointedly ignoring her "juvenile ass" of a husband, as she had earlier accused him. Ted wasn't worried; Aunt Kate had used that slur for as long as he could remember but she never managed to stay mad for very long.

Ted shook his head to clear the foibles of his relatives from it and got back to work. The Junior League Charity Ball happened every year and the Young People's Society, which included pretty much every kid that Ted knew, did all of the service for the event. Ted had been carrying plated dinners since he was 11 but this year he had moved up to Guest Services, a group of about 15 young men, ages 16 to 19, whose job it was to ensure there were no wallflowers. Any sitting female was to be asked to dance. At 16, Ted was basically stand-by as the Seniors would make the first pass through the room, followed by the Juniors so by the time Ted and the other Sophomore boys would take their turn, most of the women who wanted to dance were already on the floor. Most of Guest Services never danced at all in their first year. That would have suited Ted just fine, but so far he had danced three times. The night was nearing its end and he thought he was probably in the clear for this year when he noticed a blonde woman sitting alone at a small table near the wall. He had not noticed her earlier but since there were no other young men standing in her area, he made his way back to her table. She was watching the dancers intently, twisting a watered down drink before her. She looked up with a start as Ted spoke the recommended speech.

"Ma'am…may I have this dance?"

The woman looked up at him and to Ted's surprise, she gasped and her hand flew to her mouth.

"Ma'am, are you alright?"

The woman glanced about her with a look that reminded him of when Phoebe used to snitch cookies from the kitchen. It seemed to him that she looked directly at his dancing grandfather, at the door where his parents had recently exited and at the table where GG was regally holding court before she looked up at him again.

"I'm fine, you startled me that's all. You favor your father so."

Ted looked at her quizzically. "You know my father?"

"Yes, Ted, I know your father. You and I have actually met before also, when I used to live here in Seattle but I think that you were about 4 when I saw you last so I'm not surprised that you don't remember me."

Ted blanched again. "Four? That's probably embarrassing."

The blonde woman smiled. "Not at all. You were very cute. It was an Easter Egg Hunt. You brought me a pink egg; you thought it matched my hat."

"Wait, I do remember that." Ted pulled a chair out and sat. "Do you mind? I do remember that."

"No, not at all, please sit. You remember?"

"I was hunting on my own that year. Aunt Mia was supposed to be taking both of us around but Phoebe was just tiny and it was her first hunt and I was the "big kid", you know? I remember sitting on a swing counting my eggs and a lady in a big pink hat came up and sat on the swing next to me. She was pretty and I had a pink egg and I thought the egg would look good on that hat. Was that you?"

"It was. I can't believe you remember. What else do you remember?"

"You took the hat off and I tried to make the egg stay on but it fell off and cracked, and, ugh, then I cried. I knew this was going to be embarrassing."

"You were sweet –"

"That's what's embarrassing."

The woman laughed gently. "Everyone starts out little and cute. You've grown up since then, very nicely, I must say. As I said, you favor your father very much; that's certainly a good thing."

Ted blushed. "He is generally the center of attention. Something else embarrassing." He stood suddenly. "We really aren't supposed to be sitting out here. If you don't wish to dance, I have to keep checking around."

"I would very much like to dance. Thank you Ted."

"I am at a disadvantage here. I can't really call you pretty pink hat lady."

"You actually could but you don't need to. My name is Elena."


	2. Chapter 2

_Thanks for the feedback folks; it was fun to wake up this morning with so many comment/subscription emails. Yes, Elena should be in her 60's but a rich woman with a lot of time on her hands could still be looking pretty good. Christie Brinkley is 58, Michelle Pfeiffer is 54, both pretty major hotties still in my opinion; do we think they are going to magically fall to pieces in 10 years? Probably not. I actually googled actresses born in 1945; they will be 67 this year and found Jacklyn Smith, Helen Mirren, Goldie Hawn, Priscilla Presley, Barbara Carrera, Debbie Harry, and quite a few others who could certainly catch a teenager's attention with the right attitude applied. As long as your plastic surgery doesn't go bad..._

_This is a quickie chapter but the rest are finished and will pop up in the next couple of days. I just wanted to make sure the story was of interest before I posted everything and a little anticipation is never a bad thing. _

* * *

Chapter 2

On the Dance Floor

Ted and Elena joined a dozen or so other couples on the dance floor.

"So you don't live in Seattle any longer? Are you visiting someone?"

"I always kept up my Club dues so I get all the newsletters. It just so happened that I was going to be in town this week so when I saw that the Charity Ball was scheduled for this weekend, I decided to stay for an extra couple of days so I could come by and see my old stomping grounds – maybe see some old friends."

"So have you seen anyone you wanted to see? Who do you know? You must know my family if you know I look like my dad."

"Well, your dad is widely photographed so probably anyone would pick up on the resemblance but, you're right, I did know your family. Your grandmother was once my greatest friend."

That sounded ominous to Ted and he looked down quizzically at the woman in his arms. "Was once?" Their dance had positioned him facing the front dais again and he looked up to see his grandmother was still laughing with friends at her table. She hadn't noticed him on the floor and he suddenly had a guilty hope that she did not.

"Yes, was once; and your look of concern is probably smart. She would not like to see you with me." Her words were cautious but her expression seemed almost eager.

"Hey, I'm just doing my job. I make sure everyone who wants to dance, dances. I don't see why this is a big deal." Ted suddenly felt defiant. As their dance circled round again, he stared boldly up to the dais this time, almost willing GG to look at him. She was still pre-occupied but as Ted and Elena circled again, he faced the side doors and he saw his parents returning from the garden. They were all smiles, eyes only for each other, and they began to dance in that far corner of the ballroom.

"How about them? Are they a problem?" As they turned in their dance, Elena was now facing the couple and her expression altered.

"Yes, they probably are. Why don't you excuse me? It's getting late anyway." She tried to break away but Ted tightened his arm around her waist.

"Why? We're not doing anything wrong. Just dance with me." Ted felt a surge of righteous indignation. He was generally an easy-going individual with few struggles in his life so this feeling was new to him, and a little exciting.

Elena's head tilted slightly to the side as she looked into his face. Then she smiled brightly at him. "Alright, then, sir, you're the boss, let's dance."


	3. Chapter 3

Chapter 3

Reunion

Christian dipped Ana and kissed her neck as the song ended. He pulled her back onto both feet and twirled her quickly as another song began. He noticed his father and his still-irritating-after-all-these-years sister-in-law walking off the dance floor towards their table to join his mother. He also noticed his son was on the dance floor and was bowing to his partner before sweeping her back into the next song. He felt a surge of pride at the young man he saw. Then he stopped dead in his tracks as he identified his son's dance partner.

Ana's eyes had been closed as her husband lead her gracefully and when he suddenly came to a complete stop, she stumbled slightly before he automatically caught her with a firm arm. Her eyes fluttered open as she looked questioningly up at Christian. "Babe, what's wrong?" She followed his gaze across the floor to Ted, dancing with an older blonde woman. She smiled at her firstborn, so grown-up, how had that happened so quickly, then Ted and his partner's dancing turned them so his back was to them and she could see his partner and she now understood why Christian looked so dumbstruck.

"How…why…what is she doing here? I thought your mom pretty much ran her out of town on a rail. Did you know that she was going to be here? Of course, not, you're as shocked as I am. What the hell? She needs to get her grubby grasping Mrs. Robinson paws off my son." Ana began to struggle out of Christian's grasp but her rant seemed to have broken his shock and he kept a firm grip on her.

"Hang on, Mama Bear. Let's try not to make a scene." Christian was dancing again, leading her in the direction of Ted and Elena, who were both watching them warily as they made their approach. "Ted, may I cut in please? Your mother would love to dance with you." Christian smiled brightly but there was no light in his eyes and Ted heard the request as the command it was meant to be. However, that righteous indignation flared in Ted's chest again and, for the first time in his life, he did not feel the urge to acquiesce.

"Hey folks, no, Mom dances best with you, Dad. Elena and I are going to finish this dance." He was a little distressed to see his beautiful mother's face startled and white but he was unexpectedly angry as his father's stern face turned red at the show of defiance. He again tightened his grip on Elena's waist and whirled them away.

"What an excellent dancer you are, Ted," Elena said in a low voice. He had to lower his head towards hers to hear her voice and he was suddenly struck with the thought that he might be being manipulated. However, he was still on a bit of a high from his first real act of teen defiance so he brushed that thought away.

"I think you may have irritated your father; does he ever get violent? When he was about your age, he was quite the brawler."

"Dad? No, he's wouldn't lift a hand against anyone. Well, if he thought his family was in danger, he probably would, but I've never seen him do anything violent. He does usually get his way but not that way. He used to get into fights when he was a kid? That's hard to even picture."

Elena had a strange look and Ted was getting more uncomfortable. "Hmm. That's interesting. Thanks for sticking up for me."

"Is that what I did? I just said we were going to finish our dance. I probably will dance with my mom for the next song; she really does dance best with Dad but I promised her this afternoon to save her a dance and the night is nearly over. I hope you don't mind."

"No, of course, Ana will want to dance with her handsome son."

"Did you know my mom too?"

"Not for very long. I used to have some business interests with your father and she didn't really like that. I don't think I'm her favorite person."

That manipulated feeling was getting stronger. As his gaze circled the room, he had alternating views of his father's piercing stare and his grandmother's wide eyes as she had finally noticed the situation, both in opposition to the smile on Elena's face that seemed to have become rather smug. He felt a wave of relief as he heard the song come to a close. He released his hold on Elena and made the little concluding bow as he had been instructed. He saw his father make a move towards them and he assumed that he would now dance with Elena so he began to step towards his mother for their dance when Elena caught his sleeve.

"I would appreciate you escorting me back to my seat. I need to gather my things. I think I will go home."

"It looks like my dad might want to dance with you…"

"I'm tired and want to go home. No more dancing for tonight. I would really appreciate you escorting me out to the valets so they can get my car but I would understand if you just wanted to get back to your mother."

Ted was now torn. It was part of the instruction to escort single women guests out to their cars and wait with them for the valet parking attendants to bring their cars around. On the other hand, he was now strongly feeling the need to end this crazy show of defiance that no longer seemed to have a point. His sense of duty won out.

"Alright Elena. Let's get your bag and I'll take you to your car." He held out his left arm and Elena linked her right arm through his, walking closely beside him. She rested her left hand on his arm.

"Thank you, Ted. You are such a gentleman."


	4. Chapter 4

_This is just about done - this story is really just a short interlude. _

* * *

Chapter 4

Til Next Time

Elena released Ted's arm when they reached her seat. She found her bag and pulled out her coat check tag. "Can you gather my wrap please?"

Ted accepted the tag and strode quickly to the coat check area. He tried to avoid looking at his mother and grandmother who were now sitting together, neither speaking but both looking quite disturbed. He noticed that his father had followed them to Elena's table and as he left the ballroom, he glanced over his shoulder and saw his father standing over Elena. He looked very angry but Elena looked…amused. What was this about?

Ted handed the coat check tag to one of the sophomore girls manning this area. She brought back a soft, heavy fur. As she handed it to Ted, she commented, "How do these old women live with themselves? The animals that had to die for one coat…it's disgusting."

"You probably should be in the kitchen next year, Tonya," Ted recommended. "Everyone's eating the animals in there; I know you're OK with that." He accepted the coat and headed back to the ballroom. His father was still standing next to Elena's chair and he was clearly lecturing her but she was just as clearly ignoring him. As he neared the table, he saw his father's angry glance sweep up to note his approach. His father's final words to Elena were quite clear as Ted reached the table.

"You watch yourself, Elena. I mean it." He turned to walk away but Ted reached out and grabbed his arm.

"Dad, tell Mom I'll be back in a few minutes and will dance with her then. OK?" His earlier defiance was gone and he mostly wanted his dad to lose the black, murderous look that he was wearing.

Christian looked at him closely and Ted thought his scary demeanor softened slightly. "I'll tell her, Son." He turned to walk away.

Elena stood again and called after him, "It was lovely to see you again, Christian. Give Grace and Anastasia my best." She smiled brightly as Christian turned to glare back at her. She moved with her back towards Ted and glanced over her shoulder to him, prompting him to hold her coat while she shrugged into it. She handed her valet tag to him and then latched back onto Ted's arm, moving in close to him and Ted felt himself being propelled back towards the entry hall.

"Do I want to know what this is all about?" he asked.

"Oh, I'm sure you would find the whole sordid tale quite interesting but I think this is a story for another time." Her manicured hand was now stroking his arm in a small circle and he was suddenly feeling almost queasy with a strange dread and anticipation. They stepped out into the chilly Seattle night and she moved in closer to him. "Ooh, I had forgotten how cold it can be here." Ted led her to the valet stand and handed the tag to the attendant, Ted's friend, Duncan. Duncan's eyebrows raised slightly at the sight of Elena pressed against Ted's side but he took the tag without a word and walked into the lot of cars.

"Well, Ted, it has certainly been wonderful to meet you again."

"Sorry, I didn't have a pink egg for you this time."

Elena laughed and pressed closer against him. "I think this evening has been even more rewarding than that lovely gift. It has been so very energizing to see how much like Christian you are; it's like seeing him again when he was 15. He and I were very good friends back then and I still miss that time."

Her proximity was now making him a little dizzy. He was so aware that she must be the same age as his grandmother but there was something there between them that he could feel but did not understand. The only rationale thought in his head at that point was, "Duncan, please hurry." The other thoughts were a jumble that didn't seem to follow any particular path but they were giving him odd shivers down his spine and parts of his body were feeling tingly. He saw headlights pull into the traffic aisle and felt a rush of relief. Duncan pulled Elena's rental sedan up to them and came to a stop. Elena released his arm and turned to him. She moved in front of him, as if walking towards her car, but she paused before him, standing sideways with her shoulder now pressed into his chest and, to his shock, her hip pressed into his groin. He was embarrassed to feel himself quickly grow hard against her - let's face it, he had already been going that direction – and the arm pressed into him bent up to capture his chin. She grasped him much more firmly that he had anticipated, and she pulled his face down towards him. She tipped her face up to him and he thought she was going to kiss him on the mouth but at the last moment, she pulled his chin down and to the right slightly and kissed him on the cheek, just barely missing his lips. He knew he had to look like a total idiot as she tilted her head back and looked into his eyes. She seemed amused by his shocked face and he was certain that her hip flexed against him, grinding lightly into his erection.

"Til next time, Ted."

Duncan was holding the door open for her but he was staring openly at what was transpiring between Elena and Ted. She smiled at him as she slid into the car, her skirt riding up, exposing legs that belied her age. Duncan flushed red and quickly closed the car door. Elena took a moment to adjust the car's seat, started the car, and was gone.

"Holy crap, Ted, who was that?" Duncan was practically breathless.

"An old friend of my grandmother's."

"Whoa. Not too grandmotherly, I'd say. Hot cougar is more like it. You looked like you were going to pass out. Actually, you still look like that. Breathe man."

"Shut up, I'm breathing. I've got to get in and dance with my mom. I'll see you later."


	5. Chapter 5

Chapter 5

Aftershock

Ted turned and walked back towards the party. He was glad for the chill in the air because, without it, he thought he might spontaneously combust. As he neared the front door, he saw that his father was standing on the veranda, waiting for him.

"Ted, are you OK?"

"Of course, Dad. Why wouldn't I be?"

"No reason, Son. I was just a little worried. Elena can be...confusing sometimes."

Ted had another moment of unreality as his father's words sunk in. He wasn't sure, but he was really afraid that his dad might know what had just happened and that was a thought he didn't think he could handle right now.

"If you need to talk about anything Son, you know I'm always here, right?"

"Yeah Dad, I know that but I'm fine, really. I just want to get back in, dance with Mom, and then I'm hoping this night will be over. OK?"

Christian smiled and put his arm around his son's shoulders. He could feel Ted shivering and decided to chalk that up to the cold, rather than the shocked exhilaration of an Elena encounter. He considered Ana's long-ago words, "What would you do if that were your son?" as they re-entered the ballroom and Ted went to Ana for their dance. As he watched them circle the room, he realized that he was glad that Elena had moved to the East Coast so he would not actually have to take any kind of action against her. She was gone again, hopefully for at least another decade, and Ted was safe from her. It appeared that he had had some sort of shock from the encounter but there hadn't been any opportunity for Elena to really make a move so Christian suspected that whatever had happened would simply be something for Ted to ponder on his own. Probably in the dark of the night, if he knew Elena, and he did. He knew, in spite of Ana's and his mother's views, that not everything that he had taken away from his own time with Elena was negative and he believed that the aftershock of this brief interlude would be the same for Ted.

The song ended and Christian went to his wife and son. The evening was over and the Greys went out to meet Sawyer with their car for the long trip home. Ana curled up against Christian in the back seat and went to sleep, exhausted from the encounter with her mortal enemy, not to mention the late hour. Ted rode in the front passenger seat but Christian saw that he did not sleep but gazed out the window, lost in thought. When they reached the house and Sawyer opened his door, the door lights shone up and Christian could see the reflection of Ted's face into his window. He had a far-away look but he was smiling and Christian was satisfied.

* * *

_That's all. Like I said, just a quick interlude. I didn't have any interest in letting Elena get her grubby mitts into Ted but I thought she would find it fun to toy with all of the people she thought had wronged her. I also think that Christian, in his eternal state of denial, would think that a short encounter with Elena, always in public, wouldn't be that big a deal for his son, who has to be infinitely more stable than Christian was at that age. _

_Thanks for the reviews. I've seen writers say reviews are love and I will say, they do make you feel good! :)_


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